NFU Press release: New NFU report shows that flexibility in where, when and how work is done is key for financial employees’ wellbeing in hybrid work life

Today, Nordic Financial Unions (NFU) release the report Quality work environment in the Nordic finance sector – employee wellbeing in a post-pandemic world. The report builds on the challenges and opportunities for financial employees in the Nordic countries during the pandemic and presents important learnings to bring into the new normal hybrid work life.

Flexibility in where, when and how work is done, as well as autonomy for employees to influence their working day are key take aways. When NFU affiliates have asked their members, it is flexibility over the work life arrangement and increased influence, not the remote working in itself that is key to increased wellbeing.

It is great that NFU can show a joint Nordic picture like this. Even though there are differences between the national cases, we find a lot of common challenges and opportunities, and there are many common learnings that should be built upon in the work ahead, says Michael Budolfsen, President of NFU

Among the challenges for a hybrid work arrangement, two aspects are of extra importance to address. It is important that employers and managers make sure that there will not be an A and B team, with the A team in the office, and B team from home. Further, the hybrid work arrangement must not end up in a gender trap where women work more remotely than men and hence risk being treated differently.

We see a lot of challenges for employees in the hybrid workplace, for example when it comes to onboarding of new staff, training and competence development and the risk for an A team of those working in the office and a B team of those working from home. NFU sees that managers play an ever-greater role in the hybrid workplace which calls for new forms of training and resources, says Carin Hallerström, NFU General Secretary